Lenovo Legion Pro 5i 2023 vs 2024 – A Comprehensive Review

Lenovo’s Legion series has become a benchmark in the gaming laptop industry, renowned for its powerful performance, cutting-edge technology, and reliable build quality. The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i (2023) set a high standard, and with the release of the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i (2024), there’s significant interest in how the newer model advances over its predecessor. This detailed review delves into every aspect of these two models, from design and performance to battery life and gaming experience, providing a thorough comparison.

Comparison Table

Design and Build Quality

Lenovo Legion Pro 5i (2023):

The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i (2023) showcases a sleek and sturdy design, characteristic of the Legion series. The brushed metal finish gives it a premium look and feel, complemented by RGB lighting accents that add a gaming-centric flair. The laptop weighs 2.5 kg, striking a balance between portability and a substantial build. Its enhanced cooling system, featuring dual fans and multiple heat pipes, ensures efficient thermal management, even during intense gaming sessions.

The 2023 model also features a full-sized keyboard with RGB backlighting, providing a comfortable typing experience with good key travel and tactile feedback. The large precision trackpad is responsive and supports multi-touch gestures, enhancing overall usability. The design is practical, with a durable hinge mechanism and a robust chassis that withstands the rigors of daily use and intensive gaming.

Lenovo Legion Pro 5i (2024):

The 2024 model retains the sleek design of its predecessor but introduces slight refinements for better ergonomics and usability. The matte finish offers a sophisticated appearance, while the customizable RGB lighting allows users to personalize their device. One of the notable improvements is the advanced vapor chamber technology in the cooling system, which significantly enhances heat dissipation. The weight has been reduced to 2.3 kg, making it slightly more portable without compromising on build quality.

The 2024 version also features an improved full-sized keyboard with per-key RGB lighting, allowing for more customization and a more personalized gaming experience. The enhanced key travel and more responsive feedback make typing and gaming more enjoyable. The trackpad is also larger, with better palm rejection technology, ensuring a smoother and more accurate user experience.

Display

Lenovo Legion Pro 5i (2023):

The display of the 2023 model features a 15.6-inch IPS panel with a resolution of 2560 x 1440, delivering sharp and vibrant visuals. The 165Hz refresh rate ensures smooth gameplay, and the 100% sRGB color gamut provides accurate color reproduction, making it ideal for both gaming and creative tasks. The display’s brightness and contrast levels are excellent, offering clear visibility even in brightly lit environments.

Lenovo Legion Pro 5i (2024):

The 2024 version ups the ante with a 16-inch IPS display, offering a higher resolution of 2560 x 1600. This taller aspect ratio enhances productivity by providing more screen real estate. The 240Hz refresh rate is a significant upgrade, delivering an even smoother gaming experience. Additionally, the 100% DCI-P3 color gamut offers richer and more accurate colors, appealing to gamers and content creators alike. The display also supports HDR, providing a more dynamic range of colors and better contrast for a more immersive viewing experience.

Performance

Lenovo Legion Pro 5i (2023):

Under the hood, the 2023 model is powered by an Intel Core i7-12700H processor, paired with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti GPU. This combination provides excellent performance for gaming and multitasking. The laptop comes with 16GB of DDR5 RAM, expandable to 32GB, and a 1TB NVMe SSD, ensuring fast load times and ample storage for games and applications. The system handles intensive tasks smoothly, from high-end gaming to video editing and 3D rendering.

Lenovo Legion Pro 5i (2024):

The 2024 model takes performance to the next level with the Intel Core i9-13900HX processor and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 GPU. This powerful duo delivers superior performance, handling next-gen games and demanding applications with ease. The RAM has been upgraded to 32GB of DDR5, expandable to 64GB, and the storage capacity has been doubled to 2TB NVMe SSD, providing ample space for an extensive game library and other data. This setup ensures that the laptop can handle the most demanding tasks and future-proof your investment.

Gaming Experience

Lenovo Legion Pro 5i (2023):

The gaming experience on the 2023 model is excellent, with the laptop capable of running AAA titles at high settings smoothly. The inclusion of ray tracing and DLSS support enhances the visual fidelity and performance, offering immersive gameplay with consistent frame rates and minimal drops. The thermal management system effectively keeps the temperatures in check, preventing thermal throttling and maintaining performance during extended gaming sessions.

Lenovo Legion Pro 5i (2024):

With the 2024 model, the gaming experience is taken to new heights. The superior hardware ensures ultra settings for next-gen games, with enhanced ray tracing and DLSS 3.0 providing more realistic and visually stunning graphics. The higher and more stable frame rates ensure a seamless and immersive gaming experience, making it a top choice for serious gamers. The advanced cooling system with vapor chamber technology further ensures that the laptop remains cool even during the most intense gaming marathons.

Battery Life

Lenovo Legion Pro 5i (2023):

The battery life of the 2023 model is decent, featuring an 80Wh battery that offers up to 5 hours of mixed usage. The Rapid Charge technology is a boon, allowing the battery to reach 50% capacity in just 30 minutes, which is handy for quick top-ups. However, during intensive gaming sessions, the battery life decreases significantly, necessitating frequent charging.

Lenovo Legion Pro 5i (2024):

The 2024 version significantly improves battery life with a 99.9Wh battery, extending the usage time to up to 7 hours of mixed usage. The advanced Rapid Charge Pro technology further enhances charging efficiency, allowing the battery to reach 70% capacity in 30 minutes, ensuring less downtime and more productivity. This improvement is particularly beneficial for gamers who need to use the laptop on the go without constantly worrying about finding a power outlet.

Connectivity

Lenovo Legion Pro 5i (2023):

Connectivity options on the 2023 model include Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1, ensuring fast and reliable wireless connections. The laptop is equipped with a variety of ports, including USB-C, USB-A, HDMI, and an Ethernet port, providing versatile connectivity options for peripherals and external displays. The inclusion of multiple ports ensures that users can connect various devices simultaneously without the need for additional adapters.

Lenovo Legion Pro 5i (2024):

The 2024 model upgrades to Wi-Fi 6E, offering faster and more reliable wireless connectivity. Bluetooth 5.2 ensures better device pairing and stability. Additionally, the inclusion of Thunderbolt 4, USB-C, USB-A, HDMI 2.1, and Ethernet ports provides comprehensive connectivity options, catering to both gaming and productivity needs. The advanced connectivity options ensure that users can connect to the latest peripherals and enjoy faster data transfer speeds.

Audio and Webcam

Lenovo Legion Pro 5i (2023):

Audio quality on the 2023 model is decent, with stereo speakers featuring Nahimic 3D Audio. While the sound quality is clear, it lacks depth and bass. The 720p webcam comes with a privacy shutter, ensuring user privacy during non-use. The built-in microphone offers clear audio for video calls, but background noise can be an issue in noisy environments.

Lenovo Legion Pro 5i (2024):

The upgraded Dolby Atmos audio system provides a more immersive sound experience with enhanced clarity and depth, making it ideal for gaming, movies, and music. The 1080p webcam, along with its privacy shutter, offers higher resolution for clearer video calls, and the built-in dual microphones are designed to reduce background noise, ensuring your voice is heard clearly in any setting.

Price and Value for Money

Lenovo Legion Pro 5i (2023):

Starting at around $2,000, the 2023 model offers excellent value for its price, providing a powerful gaming experience with a strong performance-to-price ratio. While it lacks some of the latest features found in the 2024 model, it remains a solid choice for gamers who want high performance without breaking the bank. The combination of a robust design, reliable hardware, and good battery life makes it a compelling option in the high-end gaming laptop market.

Lenovo Legion Pro 5i (2024):

The 2024 model, starting at $2,500, reflects its advanced specifications and enhanced features. Although it comes with a higher price tag, the improvements in performance, display quality, battery life, and connectivity justify the investment. For serious gamers and professionals who require the latest technology and top-tier performance, the additional cost is a worthwhile investment for the benefits and future-proofing it provides.

Conclusion

The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i (2023) and Lenovo Legion Pro 5i (2024) both represent exceptional choices in the gaming laptop market, but they cater to slightly different needs and budgets.

Key Points to Consider:

• Performance: The 2024 model offers superior performance with the latest Intel Core i9 processor and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 GPU, making it a better choice for gamers seeking cutting-edge power. The 2023 model, while still very capable, is slightly behind in terms of raw power.
• Display: The 2024 model’s higher resolution and faster refresh rate make it better suited for high-end gaming and content creation. The 2023 model, though good, does not match the level of detail and smoothness provided by the 2024 version.
• Battery Life: The 2024 model offers longer battery life and faster charging, which is beneficial for users on the go. The 2023 model has adequate battery life but falls short in comparison.
• Connectivity: The upgraded Wi-Fi 6E and Thunderbolt 4 ports on the 2024 model offer more future-proof connectivity options compared to the 2023 model’s Wi-Fi 6 and standard USB ports.
• Audio and Webcam: The 2024 model’s Dolby Atmos audio and improved webcam provide a more immersive multimedia experience and better video call quality.

Overall, if you’re looking for the latest technology and the best performance, the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i (2024) is worth the investment. However, the 2023 model remains a strong contender for those who want high performance at a more affordable price point. Both models exemplify Lenovo’s commitment to delivering top-notch gaming laptops that cater to a range of needs and preferences.